The Lost Fleet is now in the Sutrah system, where they encounter a PoW camp. The marines rescue several Alliance prisoners from the camp, including a Captain Falco, a hero of the alliance who believes he should supplant Geary as the commander of the fleet. Geary stands firm, but using slick political maneuvering, Falco creates a breakaway force of 39 ships who decide to take the shortest route back to Alliance space. Geary knows this is suicide; syndics will be expecting this and have all their forces arrayed along the route.
The remaining fleet head deeper into syndic space, to the industrial system Sancere, the manufacturing hub of the syndics. Lightly guarded, Geary manages to essentially destroy all the factories and make away with much needed supplies. In retaliation, the syndics attempt to destroy the hypernet gate. This has the potential of wiping out the whole system. Geary manages to stop them and minimize the damage from the gate’s collapse.
They re-unite with the survivors of the mutiny, and realize Falco has become unhinged. All captains who were part of the breakaway fleet are placed under arrest and replaced.
As slickly written as the first, the book brings in another real danger in the form of the hypernet gate collapse. In addition to being in hostile enemy territory, Geary has to deal with hostile people in his own fleet, who will go to great lengths to supplant Geary. Very well written, fast-paced, and with strong character-building of both the protagonists and the antagonists, this is a pleasure to read.